Impact fracture behavior of continuous glass fiber-reinforced nylon 6

The impact fracture toughness of nylon 6/continuous glass fiber composites at four levels of fiber content has been studied. The composites were produced by anionically polymerizing caprolactam within a glass mat using a vacuum injection technique. Application of linear elastic fracture mechanics to characterize the impact fracture toughness of the composites, using an energy approach (G_IC), has been found to be applicable provided that a correction is made for the size of the damage zone. The concept of J_c, fracture energy per unit ligament area, has also been applied to the composites and agreement between G_IC and J_c has been found to be reasonably satisfactory. The ratio of crack propagation energy to the total energy absorbed (ductility index) has also been calculated. The ductility index was found to be close to one for the composites, indicating that additional energy is involved in propagating the fracturing cracks probably due to fiber debonding and/or crack blunting and fiber pullout. Fractographic examination of the impact fracture surface confirmed the presence of these features.     

Impact fracture energy of mineral-filled polypropylene

The impact fracture energy (G_c) for a polypropylene homopolymer and a copolymer with and without calcium carbonate fillers was measured over a range of temperatures between ?40°C and 40°C using fracture mechanics principles. The fillers studied were Omyacarb (～2.7 μm) and Winnofil (～75 nm) and 10% by weight was added to the matrix material. These fillers did not have any appreciable effect on G_c of the copolymer-based composites. However, the Omyacarb fillers improved G_c of the homopolymer at low temperatures (?20°C) due to enhanced microplastic flow as observed on the fracture surfaces. The fillers increased the stiffness of both the homopolymer and copolymer. It would appear that up to 10% of cheap calcium carbonate fillers could be added to the more expensive polypropylene to reduce the production cost without any significant loss of impact fracture energy.     

Studies on the mechanical and mechanical interfacial properties of carbon–carbon composites impregnated with an oxidation inhibitor

In this work, the relationships between work of adhesion and fracture toughness parameters, such as work of fracture (W_f), the critical stress intensity factor (K_IC), and the specific fracture energy (G_IC), of carbon–carbon composites (C/C composites) were investigated. The impact properties of the composites were also studied in the context of differentiating between the initiation and propagation energies for failure behavior. Composites consisting of different contents of the oxidation inhibitor MoSi₂ displayed an increase of the work of adhesion between the fibers and the matrix, which improved both the fracture toughness and impact properties of the composites. The 12 wt% MoSi₂ composites exhibited the highest mechanical and mechanical interfacial properties. This was probably due to the improvement of the London dispersive component, W_A^L, of the work of adhesion, resulting in an increase in the interfacial adhesion force among the fibers, filler, and matrix in this system.     

Effect of physical aging on the toughness of carbon fiber-reinforced poly(ether ether ketone) and poly(phenylene sulfide) composites. I

The effect of physical aging on the penetration impact toughness and Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of continuous carbon fiber (C.F.) reinforced poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) and poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) composites has been investigated by using an instrumented falling weight impact (IFWI) technique and a double cantilever beam (DCB) test. Composite materials studied are aged below their glass transition temperature (T_g) at various periods. Initiation force and energy of damage, failure propagation energy, impact energy and ductility index (D.I.) are reported. The Mode I critical value of strain energy release rate (G_IC) of the unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced PEEK (APC-2) composites is obtained. Results show that aging has a significant effect on the toughness of both composite materials. Energy absorbed during impact decreases with the increase of aging temperature and period. The PEEK/C.F. composites exhibit a higher retention of impact toughness than that of the PPS/C.F. composites after aging; however, the PPS/C.F. composites show a much higher ductility index. The Mode I fracture mechanism of the APC-2 composite is a combination of stable and unstable failure and shows a “stick-slip” behavior. Owing to the formation of a relative rigid structure, the fracture toughness (G_IC) of APC-2 decreased with the increase of aging temperature and period.     

Fracture behavior of coated/uncoated graphite-epoxy composites

The static delamination behavior of graphite/epoxy composite specimens subjected to mode I tensile opening (using UDCB

1 Uniform double cantilever beam.

specimens), and pure mode II shear loading (using ENF

2 End-notched flexural.

specimens) were studied. The graphite epoxy composites for the study were made from commercially treated fibers, with and without an electropolymerized interlayer. The mode I fracture energy (G_IC) was found to be significantly higher (more than 50 percent) for the coated fibers. However, this improvement was accompanied by a high reduction (more than 3 times) in the mode II fracture energy (G_IIC). This effect is apparently related to poor adhesion between the interlayer and the epoxy resin, which may be corrected by use of a “top layer” of appropriate composition to form chemical bonds between the phases. The fracture toughness (K_IC) of composites made with commercially treated fibers was also evaluated, using double side-notched specimens.     

Effects of water sorption on the physical properties of PET,PBT, and their long fibers composites

The behavior of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) on water aging has been studied above and below the glass transition temperature (T_g). The aging process is caused by: degradation of the matrix and an increase in crystallinity above T_g, and microcavitation at the amorphous/crystalline interface below T_g. Such behavior well explains the deviation of the sorption kinetics from the Fickian model. The apparent water diffusion coefficients and the transport activation energies of PET and PBT have been calculated at temperatures above and below T_g. The mechanical behavior of the two polymers on water aging has been measured by means of fracture mechanics and Izod impact tests at different stress concentration factors. An increase of toughness of PET at short aging times has been shown by mechanical tests and SEM analysis fracture surfaces of differently aged samples. Izod tests of PET and PBT composites reinforced by long glass fibers have shown the contribution of fibers to the total fracture energy.     

The influence of cooling rate on the fracture properties of a glass reiforced/nylon fiber-metal laminate

The effect of varying cooling rate on the microstructure and resulting mechanical properties of a novel fiber-metal laminate (FML) based on a glass fiber-reinforced nylon composite has been investigated. Polished thin sections removed from plain glass fiber/nylon composites and their corresponding fiber-metal laminates indicated that the prevailing microstructure was strongly dependent on the rate of cooling from the melt. Mode I and Mode II interlaminar fracture tests on the plain glass fiber reinforced nylon laminates indicated that the values of G_Ic and G_IIc averaged approximately 1100 J/m² and 3700 J/m² respectively at all cooling rates. The degree of adhesion between the aluminum alloy and composite substrates was investigated using the single cantilever beam geometry. Here, the measured values of G_c were similar in magnitude to the Mode I interlaminar fracture energy of the composite, tending to increase slightly with increasing cooling rate. The tensile and flexural fracture properties of the plain composites and the fiber metal laminates were found to increase by between 10% and 20% as the cooling rate was increased by two orders of magnitude. This effect was attributed to over-aging of the aluminum alloy plies at elevated temperature during cooling. Finally, fiber metal laminates based on glass fiber/nylon composites were shown to exhibit an excellent resistance to low velocity impact loading. Damage, in the form of delamination, fiber fracture, matrix cracking in the composite plies, and plastic deformation and fracture in the aluminum layer, was observed under localized impact loading. Here, the fast-cooled fiber metal laminates offered superior post-impact mechanical properties at low and intermediate impact energies, yet very similar results under high impact energies.     

Fracture toughness of poly(lactic acid)/ ethylene acrylate copolymer/wood‐flour composite ternary blends

A fracture mechanics analysis based on the J‐integral method was adopted to determine the resistance of composites with various concentrations of wood‐flour and ethylene acrylate copolymer (EAC) to crack initiation (J_in) and complete fracture (J_f). The J_in and J_f energies of unmodified poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/wood‐flour composites showed the deleterious effect of incorporating wood fibers into the plastic matrix by significantly decreasing the fracture toughness of PLA as the wood‐flour content increased. The reduced fracture toughness of the matrix induced by adding brittle wood‐flour into PLA was well recovered by impact modification of the composites with EAC. Microscopic morphological studies revealed that the major mechanisms of toughening were through the EAC existing as separate domains in the bulk matrix of the composites which tended to act as stress concentrators that initiated local yielding of the matrix around crack tips and enhanced the toughness of the composites. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Mechanical properties of carbon fiber composites modified with nano-SiO2 in the interphase

The performance of carbon fibers-reinforced composites is dependent to a great extent on the properties of fiber–matrix interface. To improve the interfacial properties in carbon fibers/epoxy composites, nano-SiO₂ particles were introduced to the surface of carbon fibers by sizing treatment. Atomic force microscope (AFM) results showed that nano-SiO₂ particles had been introduced on the surface of carbon fibers and increase the surface roughness of carbon fibers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that nano-SiO₂ particles increased the content of oxygen-containing groups on carbon fibers surface. Single fiber pull-out test (IFSS) and short-beam bending test (ILSS) results showed that the IFSS and ILSS of carbon fibers/epoxy composites could obtain 30.8 and 10.6% improvement compared with the composites without nano-SiO₂, respectively, when the nano-SiO₂ content was 1 wt % in sizing agents. Impact test of carbon fibers/epoxy composites treated by nano-SiO₂ containing sizing showed higher absorption energy than that of carbon fibers/epoxy composites treated by sizing agent without nano-SiO₂. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of impact fracture surface showed that the interfacial adhesion between fibers and matrix was improved after nano-SiO₂-modified sizing treatment. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) showed that the introduction of nano-SiO₂ to carbon fibers surface effectively improved the storage modulus of carbon fibers/epoxy.     

Impact behavior of a short glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane

The temperature dependence of critical strain energy release rate (G_c′) and standardized Charpy notched impact strength (CNIS) were measured for a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPUR) reinforced with 30 wt% of short glass fibers (SGF) over a temperature interval ranging from −150°C 23°C (RT) at two strain rates, 70 and 150 s⁻¹, respectively. Fractographic observation of fracture planes was used to qualitatively assess the fracture modes and mechanisms. Adhesion between the reinforcement and the matrix was excellent and the integrity of the fiber‐matrix interfacial contact was relatively insensitive to exposure to hydrolysis during the immersion in boiling water for 100 hours. At temperatures above −30°C, there was a large extent of plastic deformation in the vicinity of crack planes while at temperatures below −50°C, the extent of plastic deformation was substantially reduced. This resulted in a change in the major energy dissipation mechanism and led to a decrease of both CNIS and G_c′ values for SGF/TPUR composites. It was suggested that the plastic deformation of TPUR matrix in the immediate vicinity of glass fibers was the primary source of energy dissipation at temperatures above −30°C, while the friction and fiber pull‐out was the main dissipative process below −50°C. Over the whole temperature interval investigated, greater G_c′ values were obtained at higher strain rate of 150 s⁻¹, without any significant change in the fractographic patterns observed on the fracture planes. The CNIS/G_c′ ratio, used to assess suitability of CNIS for comparison of materials, changed with temperature substantially suggesting that the functional dependences of CNIS and G_c′ on temperature differ substantially. Hence, CNIS data do not provide a reliable base for material selection and for design purposes in this case.     

Hybrid effects on mechanical properties of polyoxymethylene

The present study investigated fracture and various mechanical properties of polyoxymethylene (POM) hybrids in tension and in flexure. The hybrids examined consisted of short glass fibers (GF) and spherical glass beads (GB). Comparisons are made between experimentally observed values and predictions based on the rule-of-hybrid mixtures for hybrid strength, modulus, impact strength, fracture toughness, and strain energy release rates. Results indicated that tensile strength, flexural modulus, and fracture toughness of POM/GB/GF hybrid composites can be estimated from the following rule-of-hybrid mixtures where P_POM/GB and P_POM/GF are the measured properties of the POM/GB and POM/GF composites, and χ_POM/GB and χ_POM/GF are the hybrid ratio (by volume) of the glass bead and that of glass fiber, respectively. In view of this, none of the aforementioned properties show any signs of a hybrid effect. Flexural strengths, impact strengths, and strain energy release rate all showed the existence of a negative hybrid effect where negative deviation from the rule-of-mixtures behavior was observed. The latter was closer to the estimation based on the inverse rule-of mixtures.     

Influence of reinforcing continuous carbon fibers on the viscoelastic properties of the epoxy matrix

The influence of reinforcing continuous carbon fibers (AS4) on the creep and fracture of the epoxy (3501–6) matrix was studied by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis test, creep test and constant strain rate test. While the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the epoxy matrix (512 K) was increased by 5–6°K by the reinforcing fibers, the activation energy for creep/relaxation was the same for both the epoxy and its composites except off-axis composites, for which the activation energy was higher. An increase in the instantaneous and rubbery moduli and a reduction in tanδ_max indicate that the reinforcing fibers stiffen the matrix and reduce the extent of viscous deformation in the epoxy matrix. This is corroborated by the creep results that recorded a reduction in the creep rate and the magnitude of creep of the pure epoxy due to the reinforcing fibers. A consequence of this reduction in energy dissipation by viscous deformation, in the epoxy matrix due to the reinforcing fibers, is a decrease in the toughness (i.e. the total fracture energy) of the epoxy matrix measured by constant strain rate test.     

Fracture toughness of filled polypropylene copolymer systems

The impact strength to stiffness balance of a toughened polypropylene copolymer was modified through the addition of mineral fillers. The stiffness was improved over the base resin value for all formulations. However, the impact strength exhibited complex behavior. The fracture toughness G_c calculated using the linear elastic fracture mechanics theory was indicative of the materials resistance to crack propagation. The G_c values were modified significantly with the addition of fillers and for some formulations was greater than the base resin value. The LEFM analysis indicates that this is due to an increase in the damage zone size r_p where the energy absorbing mechanisms are concentrated. However, the specific energy absorbed per unit volume decreased with the addition of fillers. The total energy to fracture measured using unnotched samples was indicative of crack initiation and crack propagation energies. This upper bound value decreased for all formulations indicating a reduction in the crack initiation resistance, in the presence of stress concentrating heterogeneities in the filled systems.     

Impact fracture behavior of PP/EPDM/glass bead ternary composites

The effects of glass bead filler content and surface treatment of the glass with a silane coupling agent on the room temperature impact fracture behavior of polypropylene (PP)/ethylene‐propylene‐diene monomer copolymer (EPDM)/glass bead(GB) ternary composites were determined. The volume fraction of EPDM was kept constant at 10%. The impact fracture energy and impact strength of the composites increased with increasing volume fraction of glass beads (?_g). Surface pretreatment of the glass beads had an insignificant effect on the impact behavior. For a fixed filler content, the best impact strength was achieved when untreated glass beads and a maleic anhydride modified EPDM were used. The impact strength exhibited a maximum value at ?_g=15%. Morphology/impact property relationships and an explanation of the toughening mechanisms were developed by comparing the impact properties with scanning electron micrographs of fracture surfaces.     

Mechanical properties of wood-fiber/toughened isotactic polypropylene composites

This study investigates the mechanical properties of wood-fiber/toughened PP composite modified by physical blending with an EPDM rubber to improve impact toughness. Wood-fiber thermoplastic composites were prepared with a modified PP matrix resin, employing high shear thermokinetic compounding aided with maleated PP for the fiber dispersion. The addition of EPDM improved the impact toughness, while it reduced stiffness and strength properties. To compensate the non-plane strain fracture toughness, the specimen strength ratio (R_sb) was adopted as a comparative measure of fracture toughness. The strength ratio increased with the addition of EPDM, while it decreased with increasing wood-fiber concentration. The work of fracture increased with EPDM level except at large wood-fiber concentration. The effectiveness of the impact modification was assessed with the balance between tensile modulus and unnotched impact energy as a function of wood-fiber concentration. EPDM rubber modification was moderately effective for wood-fiber PP composites. The examination of fracture surfaces showed twisted fibers, fiber breakage, and fiber pull-out from the matrix resin.     

Mode I and Mode II delamination resistance and mechanical properties of woven glass/epoxy–PU IPN composites

The effect of polyurethane on the mechanical properties and Mode I and Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness of glass/epoxy composites were studied. Polyurethanes (PU) synthesized using polyols and toluene diisocyanate were employed as modifier for epoxy resin by forming interpenetrating polymer network. The PU/Epoxy IPN was used as matrix material for GFRP. PU modified epoxy composite laminates having varying PU contents were prepared. The effect of PU content on the mechanical properties like interlaminar fracture toughness (Mode I, G_1c and Mode II, G_IIc), tensile strength, flexural strength, and Izod impact strength were studied. The morphological studies were conducted on the fractured surface of the composite specimen by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact strength of PU‐modified epoxy composite laminates were found to increase inline with interlaminar fracture toughness (G_1c and G_IIc) with increasing PU content to a certain limit and then it was found to decrease with increase in PU content. It was observed that toughening of epoxy with PU increases the Mode I and Mode II delamination toughness up to 17 and 120% higher than that of untoughened composite specimen, respectively. POLYM. COMPOS., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Tensile properties and morphology of PP/EPDM/glass bead ternary composites

The tensile properties of three types of injection molded glass bead (GB) filled polypropylene (PP)/ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) ternary composites have been determined at room temperature by using an Instron materials testing machine. The effects of the filler surface treatment, the glass bead (GBI) pretreated with a silane coupling agent and the EPDM (EPDM-MA) modified with a maleic anhydride, and the filler content on the tensile mechanical properties of the ternary PP composites have been investigated. The Young's modulus (E_c) increases while the yield stress (σ_yc) and tensile fracture strength (σ_bc) of the composites decrease with increasing the volume fraction of glass beads (ϕ_g) when the volume fraction of EPDM is constant (ϕ_e = 10%). The (E_c) values of PP/EPDM/GBI and ϵ_bc for PP/EPDM-MA/GB2 (no surface pretreated) systems are the highest at the same ϕ_g. The tensile fracture energy (E_bc) and tensile fracture strain (ϵ_bc) of PP/EPDM/GBI and PP/EPDM/GB2 systems appear to peak at ϕ_g = 25%. However, the E_bc and ϵ_bc of PP/EPDM-MA/GB2 system show little changes with increasing ϕ_g. The fracture surfaces of ternary composites have been examined in a scanning electron microscope. The correlation between the tensile properties and morphologies of these materials have been discussed.     

Dynamic mechanical properties of oil palm microfibril‐reinforced natural rubber composites

The dynamic mechanical properties of macro and microfibers of oil palm‐reinforced natural rubber (NR) composites were investigated as a function of fiber content, temperature, treatment, and frequency. By the incorporation of macrofiber to NR, the storage modulus (E') value increases while the damping factor (tan δ) shifts toward higher temperature region. As the fiber content increases the damping nature of the composite decreases because of the increased stiffness imparted by the natural fibers. By using the steam explosion method, the microfibrils were separated from the oil palm fibers. These fibers were subjected to treatments such as mercerization, benzoylation, and silane treatment. Resorcinol‐hexamethylenetetramine‐hydrated silica was also used as bonding agent to increase the fiber/matrix adhesion. The storage modulus value of untreated and treated microfibril‐reinforced composites was higher than that of macrofiber‐reinforced composites. The T_g value obtained for this microfibril‐reinforced composites were slightly higher than that of macrofiber‐reinforced composites. The activation energy for the relaxation processes in different composites was also calculated. The morphological studies using scanning electron microscopy of tensile fracture surfaces of treated and untreated composites indicated better fiber/matrix adhesion in the case of treated microfibril‐reinforced composites. Finally, attempts were made to correlate the experimental dynamic properties with the theoretical predictions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Influence of interfacial interactions on the properties of PVC/cellulosic fiber composites

The surface properties at the interface between thermoplastic and cellulosic fibers strongly influence the mechanical properties of plastic/cellulosic fiber composites. This paper examines the role of surface acid-base properties of plasticized PVC and cellulosic fibers on the mechanical properties of the composites. The acid-base surface characteristics of cellulosic fibers were modified by treating the fibers with γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (A-1100), dichlorodiethylsilane, phthalic anhydride, and maleated polypropylene. The empirical acid (K_A) and base (K_D) characteristics (i.e., electron donor/acceptor abilities) of untreated and treated fibers, as well as plasticized PVC, were determined using inverse gas chromatography (IGC) technique. These parameters were used to yield information on the acid-base pair interactions that were correlated with the tensile and notched Izod impact properties of the composites. Acid-base pair interactions have been found to be a valuable parameter in the design of surface modification strategies intended to optimize the tensile strength of the composites. By tailoring the acid-base characteristics of cellulosic fibers and plasticized PVC, a composite with equal tensile strength and greater modulus than unfilled PVC was developed. However, the acid-base factors did not correlate with tensile modulus, the elongation at break, and the notched Izod impact property of PVC/newsprint fiber composites. Aminosilane has been observed to be a suitable adhesion promoter for PVC/wood composites improving significantly the tensile strength of the composites. Other treatments (dichlorodiethylsilane, phtalic anhydride, and maleated polypropylene) were found to be ineffective, giving similar strength compared to the composites with untreated cellulosic fibers. FTIR spectroscopy results suggested that aminosilane was effective because treated cellulosic fibers can react with PVC to form chemical bonds. The resulting bond between PVC and cellulosic fibers accounts for the effectiveness of aminosilane, when compared with other coupling agents.     

A study of the mechanical properties of randomly oriented short banana and sisal hybrid fiber reinforced polyester composites

The mechanical performance of short randomly oriented banana and sisal hybrid fiber reinforced polyester composites was investigated with reference to the relative volume fraction of the two fibers at a constant total fiber loading of 0.40 volume fraction (V_f), keeping banana as the skin material and sisal as the core material. A positive hybrid effect is observed in the flexural strength and flexural modulus of the hybrid composites. The tensile strength of the composites showed a positive hybrid effect when the relative volume fraction of the two fibers was varied, and maximum tensile strength was found to be in the hybrid composite having a ratio of banana and sisal 4 : 1. The impact strength of the composites was increased with increasing volume fraction of sisal. However, a negative hybrid effect is observed when the impact strength of the composites is considered. Keeping the relative volume fraction of the two fibers constant, that is, banana : sisal = 0.32 : 0.08 (i.e., 4 : 1), the fiber loading was optimized and different layering patterns were investigated. The impact strength of the composites was increased with fiber loading. Tensile and flexural properties were found to be better at 0.40 V_f. In the case of different layering patterns, the highest flexural strength was observed for the bilayer composites. Compared to other composites, the tensile properties were slightly higher for the composite having banana as the skin material and sisal as the core material. Scanning electron micrographs of the tensile and impact fracture surfaces of the hybrid composites having volume fraction 0.20 and 0.40 V_f were studied. The experimental tensile strength and tensile modulus of hybrid composites were compared with those of theoretical predictions. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 1699–1709, 2005